Who’s next?

When one of our beloved, not so beloved, or known but not too bothered about, musician types passes away, the Media go to the same few people for comment.
But there will come a time when Paul Gambaccini and Bob Harris, and latterly David Hepworh and/or Mark Ellen, will be too old and infirm to comment.
The dulcet tones of John Peel are no longer available, and whilst you can’t deny his enthusiasm, Danny Baker rarely makes a successful jump from radio to TV or print

Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne appear to be gradually making inroads into becoming the go to mouthpiece.

Similar for Music documentaries – the same voices are being heard. OK, Nigel Planer has done a few, but you feel he’s reading the script rather than imparting his own passion for the subject.
And a lot of documentaries now are built as films and use archive footage to tell the story (with text blocks inserted to explain the context) – so there is less need for the narrator.

So …
Gambo, Whispering Bob, Heppo and Tony Blair’s bass player can no longer be bothered to comment.
Radcliffe and Maconie withdraw labour due to be being shunted around the 6Music schedule, and Lauren Laverne is no longer available as she needs an early night.

Comments

Jarvis Cocker, Jools Holland….when Cliff shuffles off I’m sure that they will dust off Mike Read. Rick Wakeman would be good value for when a contemporary of his dies as they will have probably worked together.

Rick Wakeman is a pretty solid choice to do anyone active pre-’80s on “the scene”, but he’s getting on a bit now. There’s a fair chance he either will no longer with us or unfit for duty by the time Gambo has departed this mortal coil.
Jarvis is not that good a bet IMO, as he generally takes a while to get into his stride. Not good for soundbites, seems a better bet for long form things.
Lauren Laverne has some years left in her, can talk sensibly and doesn’t make me cringe. Ditto Maconie and Radcliffe.

The fragrant Ms Boulaye was clearly expected to be some kind of Next Big Thing, as she also starred in what was fondly hoped to be the UK answer to “Saturday Night Fever”, 1979’s seemingly never-screened-since “Music Machine”, with fellow where-are-they-now resident Gerry Sundquist…

Maybe it will depend on the field of music the dearly departed found themselves? I can imagine Steve Lamaq, Lauren Laverne or maybe even Cerys Matthews being asked to offer a few comments about the drummer from forgotten Britpop band Norwegian Blue.

That nice Kate Mossman has been doing a good line in talking headery recently. Aside from that, aren’t we about due for Steve Lamacq’s fond reminiscences of seeing (insert name of eighties Roadmenders’ legends here) at their peak?

Gary Lineker, Greg Wallace, John Humphreys, Vanessa Felts? It hardly matters these days. As long as an ‘accredited’, recognisable media type spurts forth, that seems to do. ‘Remind me, what was my fee, please?’.